GRAPHIC, a book cafe and independent bookstore in Gyeongridan-gil, Itaewon, is a trendy playground for adults. The exterior that resembles a gallery shows its unique presence among residential areas. The building of GRAPHIC, which looks like a partially cut cylinder, has a white wall without any window and lacks a signboard, making it hard to guess its purpose just by looking at its exterior. In keeping with its name, GRAPHIC here has graphic novels (a novel expressing a story with rich imagination in pictures), comic books, and art books. Visitors can enjoy cartoons and alcohol at the same time.

- Address: 33, Hoenamu-ro 39-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea

- Business Hours: Closed on Mondays, Open on Tuesdays - Thursdays 13:00 ~ 23:00

- Price: 15,000 won (5,000 won for admission after 19:00. Free admission once for 3 visits)

* Unlimited hours of use, free access to drinks and snacks, and re-entering is allowed. 

Instagram : @grapic.fan 

- Precaution:

1) Entry for ages 19 and up

2) No laptops are allowed

3) Excluding drinks, no meals are allowed

 GRAPHIC is a three-story building with a different mood on each floor. The first floor consists of a bookstore where you can purchase books. There are chairs at every corner so that you can pick up a book and read it anywhere anytime. Also, there are spaces for those waiting for admission. There are two massage chairs in the opposite direction of the stairs, which are the most popular seats here. They are located in the corner, so it is quite private and you can have a massage using the massage chair. 

 On the second floor, along with the chairs and tables, there are comfortable sofas in the corner, so you can choose a seat according to your taste. If you want to read in a comfortable position for a long time, it is recommended that you take a seat on the sofa. 

 The third floor has a bar where you can enjoy drinks. The bar sells various alcoholic beverages such as highballs, whiskey, beer, and wine. At the same time, you can extract coffee directly from the espresso machine at the self-bar, which you can use for free. Also, there are various drinks, tea, and candy so you can enjoy them without being bored. There is a big speaker right next to the seats, so you can read in a free atmosphere. However, since the sound of music is loud, if you prefer to read in a quiet place, the first and second floors are recommended.

 Despite arriving 10 minutes before 1 o'clock on a weekday, about four to five groups were already in a queue. Therefore, it is recommended to go 10-15 minutes earlier in order to get a popular seat (a massage chair on the first floor and a sofa seat on the second floor). As the seats were comfortable and it was a book cafe, the turnover rate was not good, and you have to wait for 3-5 hours on average on weekends. Furthermore, there were visitors who came alone yet took up two-person seats by themselves. Group visitors might have to sit separately when seats for two are occupied. However, this seemed to be notified in advance. Many people visited as a couple. The place is trendy and allows you to read various books with your lover in a cozy space, so GRAPHIC is a perfect place for a unique date.

 Editor On's Short Review 

 I had a fun time enjoying various things to see and eat in a place that seemed to realize the dreams of adults. The feeling of reading comic books with alcohol in a leisurely lounge let me escape from my daily life for a while, and feel like a cool adult. When you need a cultural breakaway from your busy and tired daily life, I recommend you to visit the adults' playground, GRAPHIC. 

78th Reporter • KIM DA ON • daonda0904@naver.com